Ten days ago, James Franklin named redshirt freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter as Penn State’s starting safety alongside veteran Nittany Lion Zakee Wheatley.

Most of the Penn State faithful didn’t even know Belgrave-Shorter was in the mix for the spot when other returning names like Dejuan Lane and King Mack seemed more likely. Yet, Franklin insisted that Belgrave-Shorter was the man for the job after developing well in the spring and having a good camp to supplement his growth.

“Belgrave-Shorter is probably a guy that there wasn’t a lot of conversations going on outside of the Lasch Building, but led us in interceptions and turnovers this training camp,” Franklin said at his week one Monday press conference. “Been very, very consistent about how he’s gone about his business, so he has earned that spot.”

With his starting spot set in stone, Belgrave-Shorter focused on being the best player he could be in week one against Nevada.

“It was a blessing when I got announced a starter. Growing up, playing D1 college football, and then you’re the starting safety for the No. 2 team in the country,” Belgrave-Shorter said after practice on Wednesday. “It just felt good. I went out there, it was a good experience for me. I know what I got to do moving on. I got to keep grinding and just go out and go hard.”

The redshirt freshman knew the starting safety spot was open since the spring. Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter continuously reminded the group that spot wasn’t guaranteed, forcing Belgrave-Shorter to work and compete harder in the summer.

Belgrave-Shorter found out he was going to be the starter against the Wolf Pack around a week and a half before the game. He felt relieved knowing that his competitiveness and tenacity throughout training camp didn’t go unnoticed, earning the spot under his own capability.

Even when Franklin made it known that he was turning a lot of heads, Belgrave-Shorter continued to grind in his own way to make his best appeal for the position.

Belgrave-Shorter credited Wheatley for his support and mentorship throughout his time on campus. He said that Wheatley is a great person to compete with and that he’s a big reason why he improved so much within a couple of months.

He also provided a little more spotlight on Jim Knowles’ influence on the defense as the season gets underway.

“His defense is really complex. As time goes on, we have to continue to get reps and reps in order to, I wouldn’t say perfect his defense, but get a hold of it. And then once we execute it, it’s really good,” Belgrave-Shorter said.

Penn State’s defense managed to hold Nevada to just 11 points, with eight of them coming in a late-game touchdown pass and subsequent two-point conversion from backup quarterback AJ Bianco. Belgrave-Shorter tabbed two total tackles in the win.

Despite the strong defensive showing, Penn State was still without some key defensive players in the mix, like defensive end Zuriah Fisher and cornerback Zion Tracy. Franklin announced their return to the lineup ahead of Saturday’s game against FIU, but Belgrave-Shorter is confident in the defense, no matter who lines up for the Nittany Lions.

“I feel like our defense is going to be better this week, but we still got guys, even if they [Fisher and Tracy] are out,” Belgrave-Shorter said. “We still got guys that can fill in the picture and get the job done and help our defense win.”

On top of that, Belgrave-Shorter highlighted fellow first-time starter Kenny Woseley Jr. and Penn State debutante Amare Campbell as trusted teammates he feels he plays seamlessly with. Campbell opened up a lot of space behind him for Belgrave-Shorter to work with on Saturday, and the defensive back commended Campbell’s tenacity to make tackles in the box.

Despite the nerves, Belgrave-Shorter felt like he got in the groove of the game pretty quickly, alongside some of his other freshman teammates who saw the field on Saturday.

“We always just understand that it’s just football,” Belgrave-Shorter said. “At the end of the day, we get those first couple of snaps, then that’s when we all get comfortable.”

Franklin said that Belgrave-Shorter’s overall performance against Nevada was solid and a strong start, but that there are certain communication habits that the coaching staff will work with the secondary to improve the unit as a whole. Belgrave-Shorter said he felt that everyone was on the same page on Saturday and that there wasn’t a specific instance of miscommunication on defense. The two differing points of view will become clearer once Penn State plays FIU and the new-look secondary has a little bit more time to mesh with Knowles and get up to game speed.

“I would say I did pretty decent, you know, some things I need to work on,” Belgrave-Shorter said. “But I feel like next Saturday or this Saturday coming up, I’ll be able to take a bigger step on what I did last Saturday and become a new version of myself.”